1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an obturator assembly for use in a surgical trocar assembly. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an obturator assembly having a bladeless tip and a retractable bladed cutting surface within the bladeless tip.
2. Background of Related Art
Minimally invasive procedures are continually increasing in number and variation. Forming a relatively small diameter, temporary pathway to the surgical site is a key feature of most minimally invasive surgical procedures. The most common method of providing such a pathway is by inserting a trocar assembly through the skin. Common trocar assemblies generally include an obturator assembly for penetrating the skin and a cannula assembly for providing a sealed passageway for insertion of surgical instruments into a body cavity. In many procedures, the trocar assembly is inserted into a body cavity of a patient and the body cavity is insufflated to provide a working space. Upon removal of the obturator assembly, the cannula assembly is utilized to provide the necessary pathway to the surgical site while minimizing leakage of insufflation gases.
The obturator assembly may include a safety shield which protects against unintentional puncturing by a sharpened tip of the obturator assembly. One example of a safety shield mechanism is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,266 to Stellon et al., the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
During certain particularly delicate operations care is required to prevent underlying organs from being punctured by the sharpened tip of the obturator assembly. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an obturator assembly which includes multiple safety mechanisms to prevent engagement of the sharpened tip of the obturator assembly with the underlying organs. It is further desirable to provide an obturator assembly having an obturator member and cutting blade which may be manually advanced to expose the cutting blade to tissue.